New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-11-26
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
POETRY.

POETRY.
soyc, or TIE MEXICAN SEAS. BY JOAQUIN MILLER
IUno, PIP, I33. Roberts Broihers
LY RIGS By RICHARD WATSON GLIDER Second Edition.
l6mo PIP 1876. Inc Century 70.
TIL, NEW DAY By RICHARD WATSON GLIDER. A
roru in Songs and sennets Fourth Edition. l6me,
up lO3. The same
r1r CELESTIAL PASSION. BY RICHARD WATSON
GLIDER 16mo, PIP. 76 The same
UxDFR PINE AND PALM. By FRANCIS /. MACE.
l3mo. PIP. 222. Tcanor q Co.
MI VI ller's " Songs of the Mexican Seas " con
,isr Of two tales in verse, the scene of Que being
SHOWN under the basIions of Daren, " and that of
the other on the banks of the Mississippi. lie
staes that all the lines written. or at least
CONCEIVED. i'll the lands to which they relate. One
might have inferred rs much from the vivid
realism of the landscape, with it's wealth of details
and is splendid glow OF color II is in his imposing
pictures Of far-oh sun-burnt regions, luxuriant
forests rich solitudes, gorgeous plains ara
valleys unvexed by civilization, that Mr. Miller
best viOdicates his claim 10 be called poet
For these aspects of nature he has "a strong feel
ing he is keenlv sensitive to their suggestions
and in pOrtraying them he adds tho ln'ehnable
ima!ipative toucn which transforms tue mere de
seripton into the poem. The defects OF bis verse
are wnat might be expected from a writer of
tropical fervOr 1t is overgrown. rank, tangled,
swless it wanders far IL shoots uD great many
weeds. Although it is not free from unpleas-
ant artifces-fron excessive iteration for OK
ample and 'sucn startling coucets as this
hear God III His gsrden-hear
Him trim ONE flowers for His house
it.sis lackin. in art. both of iesign and ex-
preston and indeed suspect that if Mr.
joaquin Miller trimmed and potished he
would lose all tho individuality which makes
him interesting Excess might almost he called
one of his essential qualities. But while his
tendency in pression is to give MS far too much
and in impulse to rush into many Wild and un-
expected ways, fault of his conceptions Is that
they compass far too little. In seitEer of tho two
pieces now published. "The nea of Fire" and
"Tbo Rhyme OF tho Great River, has lie found a
good poetical subject. nor We sure that he has
written with any further purpose than to uuroll
hl. flaming panorama. In Tho Sea of Fire the
stalwart lover the glorious maid, caught IN the
burning woods tear of their clothes for safety.
and locked in each others arms are about to escape
to an island of the sea but upon after thought the
man ~ll not give upthe embrace; he clasps her
closer and they arc roa sted together and that is
the whole story.
Oman he glad! he CrandlY glad
And kingke walk the war. of death!
For more than years OF bliss yOu had
That brief time You Grcaihed her breath
A. no reason is shown in the poem why the pair
should not have saved themselves and gone on
living happily together forever after, this comes
dangerously near the mock heroic Inc story OF
Ine Rhyme OF the Great River has the all
vantage of bang rational. but 10 is too slight a
framework for what 5 spread upon IT, and IN spite
Of The point and surprise of the effective cl1so
IL leaves q sense of disappointment. 1t IS because
the motive in Mr.Mil.er's poetry Is so vague and
Inadequate that the passion often tails to stir
Making a new distribution of his poems aud
al ing some hitherto uncOllectod pieces, Mr.. Glider
gives us three beautiful little volumes, admirably
printed, and adorned with decorative cuts In the
"Lyfcs" tie extent of his versatility and the
polish oftis art are especially well displayed
"The New Day offers perhaps the best example
of he depth and whoieSomeness Of his sentiment
and of the poetic atmosphere in which his choicest
work is always en- wrapped. " The Celestial
Passion" with its sustained dignity and grave
thought, impresses Us with the authors serious
purpose, an Confirms our conviction that among
the new American poets he is one OF those that
deserve the most consideration. By the
FORM d dimensions, and metrical fashion of his
poems and RE simplicity OF his motives he seems
to range himself with the dainty singers of small
songs but he differs from that class IN being very
mu in earnest
"Uuder Pine and Palm Is collection of
verses written IN Maine and California, tut not al
WAYS referring particularly to the region which
gave them birth. The author seems TO have been
more fully inspired by the pine than hy tho semi
tropical verdure of solt Pacific shores. The
Heart of Katahdin, which leads the volume, is an
aboriginal romance vigorously told in musical
blank verse. :" A New World Legend" is pretty
conceit in the grise of an Indian story and nu-
merOus landscape pieces AID essays in description
are truthful both in spirit and detail. The pictures
Of California IRE less distinct. The poems a
whole are agreeable. but rather conventional